been alfo entertained concerning the means by which the pofterity of Adam and Eve are 'affected by original fin: if by imputation only, or by a fort of infection, corruption, or contamination, &c.

ENDLESS have been the difputes, and endless I fuppofe they will be, about election and reprobation. Numbers of texts have been produced both for and against them, which the controvertifts are very pofitive make it exceedingly clear on the oppofite fides of the queftion. But as my prefent defign is not to enter into disputes, I fhall proceed no farther on this subject than briefly to state the case of reprobation.

GOD, who knows and foreknows all things, hath, merely by an act of his will, created all men; has, if I may be allowed the expreffion, neceffitated their exiftence," altho' (according to the opinion of those who hold the doctrine of reprobation) he knew, nay ordained, that multitudes of them, even far the greater part of mankind, should be ETERNALLY MISERABLE. This, as these people fay, is the decree of an infinitely juft, good, gracious, and merciful God. Surely, if men would bring this opinion to the teft of their own reason, it would no longer be a fubject of difpute, but of abhorrence only.

3

THE

THE intelligent reader will probably carry this confideration much farther: he cannot carry it too far, if he is led only by truth.

DISPUTES Concerning the nature of the eucharist have been principally, whether the bread and wine administered are, to fuch as right worthily and with faith receive the fame, only a partaking of the body and blood of Chrift; or if the elements are confubftantiated with that body and blood; or laftly, (which is the doctrine of the Roman Catholics, who are much more numerous than any other church of chriftians) if the bread and wine are not tranfubftantiated into the very bady, flesh, and blood of Christ, that is, as they fay, into the body, flesh, and blood of God, the almighty Creator of the universe.

THE Trinity being one of the most abftrufe doctrines of chriftianity, and the leaft understood, it has given occafion (as fubjects very little or not at all understood have ufually done) to the greateft, degree of pofitivenefs,

L 2

h Great contefts have arifen in the church of Rome, whether the facramental bread and wine were fo far digefted, as that fome part of them, like other food, was turned into excrements: thofe who held the affirmative, went by the name of Stercorarians or Stercoranifta, from the Latin word ftercus, dung. Cardinal Humbert, in his answer to Nicetas Pectoratus, treats him as a Stercoranist, merely for holding that the eucharift breaks the fast; which opinion he imagined led directly into Stercoranifm.

nefs, and the moft violent contention. Two as eminent champions in this caufe as moft among the ancients, were Alexander bishop of Alexandria, and Arius his presbyter. Alexander, fpeaking of the Trinity, affirmed, "that the Son was co-eternal and consub“stantial, and of the fame dignity with the "Father." Arius oppofed him, arguing in this manner: "If the Father begot the Son, "he who was begotten must have a begin"ning of his exiftence; and from thence," fays he, it is manifeft, that there was a "time when he was not; 'the neceffary con

sequence of which," he affirmed, "was "this, that he had his fubfiftence out of "things not exifting." Arius on the other hand afferted, as Alexander his bifhop tells us, "that there was a time when there was "no Son of God, and that he who before "was not, afterwards exifted, being made,

just as any man whatfoever, and that there"fore he was of a mutable nature, and

equally receptive of vice and virtue.” Arius in his turn fays, Alexander's doctrine was, "that God is always, and the Son alThe fame time the Father, the "fame

cr

ways.

In the year 361 a creed was drawn up at Antioch, wherein it was exprefsly faid, that the Son was in every thing unlike to the Father, and that he was made out of nothing. Bower's Hiftory of the Popes, vol. I. p. 167.

fame time the Son. The Son co-exists "with God unbegottenly, being ever begot"ten, being unbegottenly begotten. That "God was not before the Son, no not in "conception, or the least point of time, he being ever God, ever Son "." Thus far Mr. Chandler.

THIS difpute, equally intelligible, informing, and edifying, occafioned the most outrageous abuses, violences, and murders: much christian blood having been shed in the quarrel. In our age and nation many trinitarian battles have been alfo fought; but the combatants, tho' they engaged with much fury, yet not being allowed the ufe of any other weapons than their tongues and their pens, no great mischiefs, befide much calumny, abuse, and scolding, enfued.

How perfectly well most of these religious disputes, on account of which the difputants fo frequently cut one another's throats, were understood by those who engaged or interefted themselves in the controverfies, will be pretty apparent to many readers: however, it may not be amifs to give a few inftances, especially how clearly they were apprehended by the common people, who took a confiderable share in them: not that it can well be doubted, whether the

* Vide Chandler's Introduction, &c. P. 22, 23.

k

fubjects of many of these contests were not as well understood by the meanest and most illiterate vulgar, as by the most reverend and learned doctors and divines.

AFTER fome of the fathers had piously damned Diofcorus, bishop of Alexandria, they proceeded to fettle the faith according to the Nicene creed, the opinions of the fathers, and the doctrine of Athanafius, Cyril Bafil, Gregory, Leo, &c. and decreed that

tr

Chrift was truly God and truly man, con"fubftantial with the Father as to his Deity, "and consubstantial with us as to his hu

manity; and that he was to be confeffed as confifting of two natures without mixture, "converfion of one into another, and with" out divifion or feparation; and that it "fhould not be lawful for any persons to "utter, or write, or compofe, or THINK, or "teach, any other faith whatsoever, &c.

This produced a loud acclamation among "the people; God blefs the emperor, God "bless the emprefs. We believe as pope "Leo doth. Damn the dividers and the "confounders. We believe as Cyril did "immortal be the name of Cyril. Thus "the orthodox believe, and curfed be one that doth not believe fo too.”

Chandler's Introduction, &c. p. 47.

:

every

ONE